Nixon (1995) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error A biographical story of former U.S. president Richard Milhous Nixon, from his days as a young boy to his eventual presidency which ended in shame. Director: From $2.99 (SD) on Amazon Video ON DISC a list of 22 titles created 19 Sep 2013 a list of 35 titles created 03 Feb 2014 a list of 32 images created 17 Nov 2015 a list of 22 titles created 05 Dec 2015 a list of 36 titles created 7 months ago Search for " Nixon " on Amazon.com Connect with IMDb Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 10 wins & 13 nominations.

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Director: Oliver Stone A rude, contemptuous talk show host becomes overwhelmed by the hatred that surrounds his program just before it goes national. Director: Oliver Stone A young and impatient stockbroker is willing to do anything to get to the top, including trading on illegal inside information taken through a ruthless and greedy corporate raider who takes the youth under his wing. Director: Oliver Stone A man heading to Vegas to pay off his gambling debt before the Russian mafia kills him, is forced to stop in an Arizona town where everything that can go wrong, does go wrong. Director: Oliver Stone Two Port Authority police officers become trapped under the rubble of the World Trade Center. Director: Oliver Stone A behind-the-scenes look at the life-and-death struggles of modern-day gladiators and those who lead them. Director: Oliver Stone About a 1839 mutiny aboard a slave ship that is traveling towards the northeastern coast of America. Much of the story involves a court-room drama about the free man who led the revolt. Director: Steven Spielberg Edit Storyline Director Oliver Stone's exploration of former president Richard Nixon's strict Quaker upbringing, his nascent political strivings in law school, and his strangely self-effacing courtship of his wife, Pat.

The contradictions in his character are revealed early, in the vicious campaign against Helen Gahagan Douglas and the oddly masochistic Checkers speech. His defeat at the hands of the hated and envied John F. Kennedy in the 1960 presidential election, followed by the loss of the 1962 California gubernatorial race, seem to signal the end of his career. Yet, although wholly lacking in charisma, Nixon remains a brilliant political operator, seizing the opportunity provided by the backlash against the antiwar movement to take the presidency in 1968. It is only when safely in office, running far ahead in the polls for the 1972 presidential election, that his growing paranoia comes to full flower, triggering the Watergate scandal. Written by alfiehitchie Triumphant in Victory, Bitter in Defeat. He Changed the World, But Lost a Nation. See more » Genres: Rated R for language | See all certifications » Parents Guide: 5 January 1996 (USA) See more » Also Known As: Gli intrighi del potere - Nixon See more » Filming Locations: Did You Know?

Trivia A major scene that was unable to be filmed was of Nixon and his family watching Patton (1970), Nixon's favorite movie, and one he watched repeatedly. The scene would've highlighted Patton's speech at the beginning of the film in which he says "Americans have never lost and will never lose a war, because the very thought of losing is hateful to Americans" which would have had resonance with Nixon's line "I will not be the first President to lose a war." But George C. Scott did not relinquish his image rights for Patton, and the scene could not be filmed. See more » Goofs Flipped shot: when Nixon enters the Beverly Hilton ballroom, the campaign signs are backwards. See more » Quotes Written by Cedric King Palmer [Played during the training film at the beginning] (Oxford, OH) – See all my reviews I'm not normally a fan of Oliver Stone (in fact, I've NEVER liked an Oliver Stone picture before)but this one just blew me away. The reason I usually don't like him is that, though he is a great technical director and visual stylist, his scripts are heavy-handed and one-sided to the point of absurdity. But not here.

In fact, the script is perhaps the most impressive element in this whole movie, not only for how ambiguous and even-handed it is in dealing with Nixon as a character, but also for the brilliant way it moves around in time. It starts with Nixon, feeling embattled in the White House in 1973 as the Watergate hearings are upon him, and uses the device of him listening to his secret tapes to jump back and forth to previous eras, flawlessly moving between past and present to give an impressionistic, kaleidoscopic overview of the man's life, instead of following the staid and ho-hum linear approach most movie biographies take (most recent example: "Man on the Moon", the bio on Andy Kaufman which was a snoozer in spite of a great performance by Jim Carrey mainly because of the dry boring, "This happened. . .And then this happened" approach).

Another reason to see this film is the brilliant, absolutely overwhelming lead performance by Anthony Hopkins; his Nixon may not look or sound exactly like the 37th president (but come on, except maybe for Ed Sullivan, who does?) but he embodies his qualities - strengths as well as weaknesses - to such an enormous degree that he simply BECOMES Nixon, at least for the three hours the movie is on screen. I have to say, though, I was not nearly as impressed as every one else (critics and general audiences alike) seems to be about Joan Allen as Pat Nixon. It's nothing against her performance, she did fine, it's just that as written, the part is rather weak. In fact, I was much more bothered about the liberties the filmmakers took in fleshing out her character than in all the political events; it's like, whenever they wanted to have someone blast Nixon or act as his conscience, they'd trot out Ol' Pat, giving her some of the most embarrasingly "speechified" moments in all of the movies - almost none of their scenes together ringed true as husband as wife; it was more like Nixon sitting across from the Filmmakers' Conscience.

In fact, she's angry at him so often in the film you have to wonder, what exactly does she love about the man? The film never answers (or attempts to answer) this question. But this one minor quibble is not enough to make me downgrade this film. It is an absolutely stunning achievement by any stretch of the imagination, and it contains some interesting thematic and technical echoes of both Citizen Kane (cavernous high ceiling scenes, a "March of Time"-type newsreel on Nixon, a dinner scene between Dick and Pat at a long, impersonal table) as well as The Godfather (the burnished, half-dark half-light cinematography, several "chamber of power" scenes in tight, dark and claustrophobic rooms)that I found, in context, to be totally appropriate. It paints both Nixon and the times he (and the country) lived through on a grand and mythic scale that was truly awesome and, once again, entirely appropriate. Yes, it's a film that is at times big, loud and bombastic (because so, after all, was Nixon himself) but, just as often quiet, contemplative and told at an achingly *human* level.

The contrast between these two states is what gives the film a good deal of its overall power and, as I've said, I never would have believed that Stone would have been capable of doing the smaller, quieter scenes so well. This is a good film to have on tape or DVD, for two reasons. It's so long, and so dense with facts, characters and events, that you're not likely to want to watch it all the way straight through (the first time I saw it was in the theater and though I was held spellbound, I began wishing for an intermission at about the two-hour mark, not so much to stretch my legs but to give my brain a chance to process all I'd seen and heard so far). Also, and more importantly, the videotape includes after the credits two scenes cut out of the final film for time purposes. In both cases, I believe, a severe mistake was made - these are both, I believe, ESSENTIAL sequences; not just nice to have as an additional bargain, but scenes which Stone should have fought tooth and nail to keep in (even cutting out some others if he had to - my vote would have been to excise a few of those Pat Nixon scenes instead).

Once scene involves Nixon's visit to the CIA and another a discussion between Nixon and J. Edgar Hoover in the Oval Office. The first scene is a masterpiece of writing and acting (with Sam Waterston as CIA Director Richard Helms, otherwise in no other scene of the movie) and the other is, I think, key in understanding Nixon's motivation to begin taping his White House conversations in the first place (also - an issue which is touched on no other place in the movie). I feel that these two scenes should be edited back into their appropriate places in the movie; seeing them separated from the rest of the film is better than not seeing them at all, but they really belong as part of the entire story. 60 of 67 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes Top 5 Richard Nixon Movies - ABC News ABC News By ALISA WIERSEMA ( @alisawiersema ) and ANJULI SASTRY Jan. 8, 2013 Universal Pictures With the centennial of former President Richard Nixon's birth upon us, we put together a list of the top five movies on the president.

The movies fall into two categories on the depiction of Nixon: one in which Nixon is made out to be a character foil, and another, which uses Nixon as a point of comic relief. Get more pure politics at ABCNews.com/Politics and a lighter take on the news at OTUSNews.com 2008 Universal Pictures 'Frost/Nixon' This 2008 film based on the 2006 Peter Morgan play of the same name, vilifies Nixon while examining his role in the Watergate scandal through a series of televised interviews following his resignation from the presidency a few years earlier. Though critics gave it positive reviews, "Frost/Nixon" received some expected flack for found historical inaccuracies of the depiction of Nixon and the 1977 interviews leading up to his resignation. Frank Langella tries his hand at method acting in his portrayal of Nixon and received acclaim for his performance toward the end of the movie, earning him an Academy Award for Best Actor, among other awards. The movie was said to have used dramatic license to portray the interview sessions, but the film was successful in that it attempted to humanize Nixon and not necessarily use him as a scapegoat for America's woes.

However, many authors and critics still maintain that the nature and progression of the some of the interviews were inaccurately portrayed to seem as if the president had performed poorly. 1976 Warner Bros./AP Photo 'All The President's Men' Based on a book of the same name, this classic film stars Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford as the legendary Washington Post journalists Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward throughout their investigation of the 1972 Watergate scandal. The scandal resulted from a break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C. With the help of the infamous "Deep Throat" -- revealed as FBI Associate Director Mark Felt in 2005 -- the journalists traced the incident to the executive branch of the federal government and then to the president himself, leading to the resignation of Nixon. "All the President's Men" won four Academy awards, including best supporting actor, and earned a number of international award nominations. Typewriters may have been replaced by Twitter, but "All the President's Men" is widely regarded as a "must see" example of the constant battle between politics and journalism, making it a movie that is just as relevant to modern politics as it was 41 years ago.

1995 Sidney Baldwin/Hollywood Pictures via AP Photo 'Nixon' Anthony Hopkins tries his hand at a portrayal of Nixon in this biographical film directed by Oliver Stone. The film takes a somber tone at times, especially when displaying the paranoia and medical issues that apparently hampered Nixon in the months leading up to his resignation. Speaking to The Daily Beast in 1995, Stone said that what struck him about Hopkins' portrayal of Nixon was "the isolation of Tony. ... The loneliness. I felt that was the quality that always marked Nixon. He played repression perfectly in 'Remains of the Day,' and there was a lot of Nixon in that, too." This film is one of three which Stone made on the professional and personal lives of American presidents, the other two being John F. Kennedy and George W. Bush. 2004 New Line Cinema 'The Assassination of Richard Nixon' Sean Penn plays a downtrodden man as he plans the assassination of Nixon but actually ends up assassinating himself in the end. The events are loosely based on the incidents of the actual 1974 assassination attempt on Nixon by Samuel Byck.

Byck tried to hijack a domestic airline and ended up killing himself and shooting the plane's pilot and copilot. Penn's character blames his troubles on Nixon because he believes the president made a promise to end the Vietnam War, which he failed to deliver, and was reelected yet again on that same promise. Though Nixon is never portrayed by a real character, he is present in the background of the film, including in scenes that indirectly lead to main character to becoming disillusioned with his life, or as Robert Ebert calls it, the "journey of a man going mad." 1999 Best actors to play President Richard Nixon - SFGate Best actors to play President Richard Nixon By Peter Hartlaub , San Francisco Chronicle Published 4:00 am, Sunday, December 7, 2008 Photo: Universal Pictures Dan Hedaya as Richard Nixon with Kirsten Dunst (center) and Michelle Williams in "Dick." Dan Hedaya as Richard Nixon with Kirsten Dunst (center) and Michelle Williams in "Dick." Photo: Columbia Pictures 1999 Richard M. Nixon's head in the cartoon "Futurama." Richard M.

Nixon's head in the cartoon "Futurama." Photo: Fox Image 4 of 8 Comedian Rich Little known far and wide for his impersonations, including this one of former President Richard Nixon, goes through his routine as he recieves the 1,765th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame July 27, 1983. less Comedian Rich Little known far and wide for his impersonations, including this one of former President Richard Nixon, goes through his routine as he recieves the 1,765th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame July ... more Photo: Lennox McLendon, AP Anthony Hopkins as Richard Nixon in "Nixon." Anthony Hopkins as Richard Nixon in "Nixon." Photo: Buena Vista Pictures 1995 Image 6 of 8 Michael Sheen and Frank Langella in "Frost/Nixon."(L to R) David Frost (MICHAEL SHEEN) interviews Richard Nixon (FRANK LANGELLA) in a drama that tells of the electrifying battle between a disgraced president with a legacy to save and a jet-setting television personality with a name to make--?Frost/Nixon?, from director Ron Howard.

less Michael Sheen and Frank Langella in "Frost/Nixon."(L to R) David Frost (MICHAEL SHEEN) interviews Richard Nixon (FRANK LANGELLA) in a drama that tells of the electrifying battle between a disgraced president ... more Photo: Universal Pictures Image 7 of 8 Kevin Bacon and Frank Langella in "Frost/Nixon."(L to R) Colonel Jack Brennan (KEVIN BACON) counsels Richard Nixon (FRANK LANGELLA) in a drama that tells of the electrifying battle between a disgraced president with a legacy to save and a jet-setting television personality with a name to make--?Frost/Nixon?, from director Ron Howard. less Kevin Bacon and Frank Langella in "Frost/Nixon."(L to R) Colonel Jack Brennan (KEVIN BACON) counsels Richard Nixon (FRANK LANGELLA) in a drama that tells of the electrifying battle between a disgraced president ... more Photo: Universal Pictures Best actors to play President Richard Nixon 1 / 8 Is Frank Langella the best Richard Nixon ever?

The actor's turn as the disgraced ex-president in Ron Howard 's compelling "Frost/Nixon" (opening Friday in the Bay Area) definitely belongs in the argument. While Langella takes some getting used to - mostly because he more closely resembles another president, Ronald Reagan - his nuanced performance makes Nixon come alive as a gloomy but somewhat sympathetic figure, as his last competitive fires are extinguished during a historic series of post-resignation interviews with celebrity host David Frost . Anthony Hopkins is probably the most famous Nixon in recent years, earning an Oscar nomination as the president in Oliver Stone 's acclaimed "Nixon." But he was upstaged by Joan Allen , whose Pat Nixon was the movie's knockout performance. Character actor Philip Baker Hall is a lesser-known but strong choice for best Nixon performance of all time. His 90-minute monologue in Robert Altman 's "Secret Honor" (1984) crafted the ex-president as a complicated soul, at a time when most actors and comics were portraying Nixon as a caricature. As of this year, at least 47 actors have played Nixon in movies and on television - more than have played Gerald Ford , Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan combined.

Here are a few more awards for outstanding work in the field of acting like Nixon: Best animated Nixon The TV show: "Futurama" (1999 to present) Believe it or not, there's a lot of competition in this category, including Rich Little in "Bébé's Kids" and Harry Shearer in "The Simpsons." Veteran voice actor West gets the prize as the disembodied Richard Nixon head in a glass jar on "Futurama." The talented West has also voiced Stimpy in "Ren and Stimpy," Zim in "Invader Zim" and several of the Warner Bros. characters in "Space Jam." Best Nixon impersonation The actor: Rich Little The TV movies: "A Christmas Carol" (1978), "The Presidents" (2004) Chronicle readers sent dozens of e-mails supporting Nixon impersonator David Frye when he was left off a recent Datebook section list of best presidential and vice presidential impersonators of all time. Voice actor Joe Alaskey also does a great Nixon. But we're going with Little, who combines the exaggerated voice and physical mannerisms of Nixon to near-perfection.

Little is also the only impersonator mentioned who has performed his Nixon in front of the president, who gave him a lukewarm reception. Richard Nixon lifetime achievement award The actor: Richard M. Dixon The movies: "Men of Crisis: The Harvey Wallinger Story," "Tail Gunner Joe," "Where the Buffalo Roam" Dixon, formerly known as James LaRoe , turned his strong resemblance to the president into a career, appearing as Nixon in at least nine movies from 1971 and 1984, plus numerous spots on "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In," "The Mike Douglas Show" and "The Merv Griffin Show," among other TV programs. Most hilarious Nixon The actor: Dan Hedaya The movie: "Dick" (1999) Hedaya showed us his potential as Nick on "Cheers" and as Alicia Silverstone 's father in "Clueless," but his turn as Nixon in this underrated reimagining of the Watergate scandal was pure comic gold. Hedaya eats marijuana-laced cookies, dotes over his loser dog and says funny stuff like, "I've got a way with young people ...

they trust me." Best portrayal of Richard Nixon by Ronald Reagan The actor: Ronald Reagan The movie: "Horror House on Highway Five" (2005) OK, it wasn't that Ronald Reagan. "Horror House on Highway Five" was way better than anything President Ronald Reagan appeared in during his television and film career. According to IMDb.com, this Ronald Reagan appeared in only one movie, which was about a vanload of kids who get picked off by a serial killer in a Nixon mask. Best use of Richard Nixon in an The actor: James LeGros The movie: "Point Break" (1991) Swayze has never been more perfect in a movie than "Point Break," and remember that this is the guy who made " Road House ," "Youngblood," "Dirty Dancing," "Red Dawn" and "Steel Dawn" in one five-year acting period. But he did make one mistake. As Bodhi, the leader of the ex-president bank robbers, he took the Reagan mask and let character actor (and Brad Pitt look-alike) James LeGros wear Nixon. LeGros made the most of the role, and we're still talking about him today.

FROST/NIXON (R) opens Friday at Bay Area theaters. To see a trailer for "Frost/Nixon," go to links.sfgate.com/ZFNA . Latest from the SFGATE homepage: Click below for the top news from around the Bay Area and beyond. Sign up for our newsletters to be the first to learn about breaking news and more. Go to 'Sign In' and 'Manage Profile' at the top of the page. 9 Actors Who Played U.S. Presidents | Fox News Magazine 9 Actors Who Played U.S. Presidents By FOX News Magazine | November 9, 2012 This week will see the nationwide release of "Lincoln," Steven Spielberg's historical drama about our 16th president. Reviews have been largely positive, but Daniel Day-Lewis, the actor who portrays Lincoln in the film, is unanimously receiving praise for his performance. Many other actors, too, have played the part of a United States president, a role that can lead to mixed (and sometimes controversial) results. As it turns out, the president has some mighty big shoes to fill, even when it comes to his depiction on film.

Here's a look at just some of the actors who have played an actual commander-in-chief on television or in film. AP/Reuters Frank Langella - Richard Nixon Langella, who is known for both his Broadway and film career, was awarded a Tony Award (Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play) for his portrayal of Richard Nixon in the stage version of "Frost/Nixon," and was also nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in the 2008 film adaptation. AP/Reuters Paul Giamatti - John Adams Giamatti played President John Adams, the unusual and eccentric second president of the United States, in the 2008 HBO miniseries "John Adams." The program went on to become one of the most successful miniseries in television history, winning four Golden Globes and thirteen Emmy Awards.

AP/Reuters Robin Williams - Theodore Roosevelt Williams plays the ever-knowledgeable wax figure of President Theodore Roosevelt in the 2006 film "Night at the Museum" and its 2009 sequel "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian." Williams’ character comes to life at night in New York City’s American Museum of Natural History to help night guard Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) bring order to the museum. Reuters/Reuters Anthony Hopkins - Richard Nixon Oliver Stone's 1995 film "Nixon" starred Anthony Hopkins as the titular president. For his performance, Hopkins was nominated for an Oscar at the 68th Academy Awards. AP/Reuters Josh Brolin - George W. Bush Brolin, known for his breakout role in the '80s cult classic "The Goonies," took on the role of President George W. Bush in Oliver Stone's 2008 biographical film “W.” AP/Reuters James Brolin - Ronald Reagan James Brolin, Josh's father, portrayed President Ronald Reagan in a televised miniseries called "The Reagans" back in 2003.

Originally set to air on CBS, the miniseries was pulled from the schedule after it came under criticism from conservative groups, and eventially ran on Showtime instead. AP/Reuters Bill Murray The 2012 film "Hyde Park on Hudson" stars Bill Murray as Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Set shortly before World War II, the movie centers mostly on the president's love affair with Margaret Suckley, his distant cousin. AP/Reuters Greg Kinnear - John F. Kennedy Greg Kinnear played the part of President John F. Kennedy in 2011's "The Kennedys." Though quite controversial, the television miniseries earned four Emmys and several more nominations, including a nomination for Kinnear as Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie. Frank Langella and Michael Sheen Star in Ron Howard’s Adaptation of a Hit Play - The New York Times The New York Times Movies |Mr. Frost, Meet Mr. Nixon Search Mr. Frost, Meet Mr.

Nixon Frost/Nixon Continue reading the main story It’s twinkle versus glower in the big-screen edition of Peter Morgan’s theatrical smackdown “Frost/Nixon.” Directed by Ron Howard and adapted by Mr. Morgan, the film revisits the televised May 1977 face-off between the toothy British personality David Frost and the disgraced former president Richard M. Nixon three years after he left office, trimming their nearly 30-hour armchair-to-armchair spar into a tidy 122-minute narrative of loss and redemption that, at least from this ringside seat, would be better titled “Nixon/Frost.” Broadcast in four 90-minute programs, the interviews were seen as an enormous risk both for Mr. Frost, who was gambling with his money and future, and for the presidentially pardoned Nixon, who was seeking absolution but risked further public humiliation. (Whatever the outcome, he was guaranteed a sweet jackpot: some $600,000 and 10 percent of the profits.) For James Reston Jr., who helped Mr.

Frost prepare for the interviews (and is played by a rabbity Sam Rockwell in the movie), and whose book “The Conviction of Richard Nixon” was the so-called grist for Mr. Morgan’s play, the former president was akin to Proteus, the wily, shape-shifting Old Man of the Sea from “The Odyssey.” It’s an evocative image, though the thing about Proteus is that when caught he does tell the truth. As it happens, the worst didn’t happen to either Frost or Nixon, the worst being relative to your political view. The fallen leader fell no further, despite the choking close-ups, beads of sweat, agonized stammers, weird digressions and outrageous pronouncements: “When the president does it, that means that it is not illegal.” The reviews were decidedly mixed — from prison his former aide John D.

Ehrlichman gave Nixon’s performance the big thumbs down, calling it “a smarmy, maudlin rationalization.” But the audience share was huge, blockbuster-size: the first program, on Watergate, which played against a John Wayne flick and reruns of “Good Times” and “The Bionic Woman,” attracted as many viewers as the year’s reigning ratings champ, “Happy Days,” the Eisenhower-era sitcom in which Mr. Howard played the Everyboy Richie Cunningham. Continue reading the main story Stories of lost crowns lend themselves to drama, but not necessarily audience-pleasing entertainments, which may explain why “Frost/Nixon” registers as such a soothing, agreeably amusing experience, more palliative than purgative. Anchored by its first-rate leads, who originated the roles on the London stage — Frank Langella as Nixon and Michael Sheen as Frost — the movie is a talkathon embellished with camera movements.

It opens with one of those compressed historical montages, a kind of tossed salad of names, places and dates (Walter Cronkite, Watergate, August 1974), before moving on to the main course: Frost trying to persuade — and, with comforting words and an open checkbook, eventually persuading — Nixon to sit down to a series of on-camera interviews in a suburban Southern California house. Advertisement Continue reading the main story Much like Mr. Morgan’s screenplay for “The Queen,” a fictionalized account of the relationship between Queen Elizabeth and Tony Blair in the aftermath of Diana’s death, “Frost/Nixon” turns on a power struggle between stubborn if sympathetic adversaries. Once again Mr. Sheen, who played Mr. Blair in both “The Queen” and “The Deal,” a made-for-British-television movie written by Mr. Morgan, assumes the role of the professional sycophant who proves tougher than his breezy smiles suggest. And once again, much as he was by Helen Mirren in “The Queen,” the likable, watchable Mr. Sheen has been pitted against a scene-stealer who, if not carefully tethered, will devour the screen by the greedy mouthful.

Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box. Invalid email address. Please re-enter. You must select a newsletter to subscribe to. Sign Up Privacy Policy And devour Mr. Langella does, chomp chomp. Artfully lighted and shot to accentuate the character’s trembling, affronted jowls, his shoulders hunched, face bunched, he creeps along like a spider, alternately retreating into the shadows and pouncing with a smile. That smile should give you nightmares, but Mr. Howard, a competent craftsman who tends to dim the lights in his movies even while brightening their themes ( “A Beautiful Mind” ), has neither the skill nor the will to draw out a dangerous performance from Mr. Langella, something to make your skin crawl or heart leap. Unlike Oliver Stone, who invested Nixon (a memorable Anthony Hopkins) with Shakespearean heft but refused to sentimentalize him, this is a portrait designed to elicit a sniffy tear or two along with a few statuettes. At one point in the stage production of “Frost/Nixon” the two opponents sat facing each other under a bank of monitors showing the president’s face in fragmented mosaic.

It’s a terrific theatrical contrivance that literalizes Mr. Morgan’s belief that Mr. Frost understood the power of the close-up. (Mr. Howard’s more prosaic interpretation of this same theme results in a lot of ... close-ups.) But Mr. Morgan radically underestimates Nixon’s own understanding of television itself. By the time he took on Mr. Frost, memories of his flop-sweat encounter with John F. Kennedy had been long supplanted by images of Nixon in China, and on your family television set. As one Nixon adviser said in 1967, “The response is to the image, not to the man.” In 1977 Nixon dusted off that image. The cleanup job continues. “Frost/Nixon” is rated R (Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian). Crude language. FROST/NIXON Opens on Friday in New York and Los Angeles. Directed by Ron Howard; written by Peter Morgan, based on his stage play; director of photography, Salvatore Totino; edited by Mike Hill and Dan Hanley; music by Hans Zimmer; production designer, Michael Corenblith; produced by Brian Grazer, Mr.

Howard, Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner; released by Universal Pictures. Running time: 2 hours 2 minutes. WITH: Frank Langella (Richard Nixon), Michael Sheen (David Frost), Kevin Bacon (Jack Brennan), Rebecca Hall (Caroline Cushing), Toby Jones (Swifty Lazar), Matthew MacFadyen (John Birt), Oliver Platt (Bob Zelnick) and Sam Rockwell (James Reston Jr.). Frost/Nixon Stars Frank Langella, Michael Sheen, Kevin Bacon Rating R The men who would play Richard Nixon - CNN.com The men who would play Richard Nixon By Todd Leopold , CNN Updated 8:25 AM ET, Mon March 14, 2016 Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what's happening in the world as it unfolds. Photos: Richard Nixon's life and career President Richard Nixon was in the White House from 1969 to 1974, when he became the first president to resign from office. He died at 81 in 1994.

Here's a look at his life and legacy: Hide Caption Photos: Richard Nixon's life and career Nixon was born in California on January 9, 1913. He is pictured at age 4. Hide Caption Photos: Richard Nixon's life and career As a teenager, Nixon poses for a portrait with a violin in 1927. Hide Caption 3 of 22 Photos: Richard Nixon's life and career Nixon, No. 12, and his football teammates at Whittier College pose for a picture in the 1930s. After graduating from Whittier, he attended law school at Duke University. Hide Caption Photos: Richard Nixon's life and career During World War II, Nixon served as a lieutenant commander in the Navy. Hide Caption 5 of 22 Photos: Richard Nixon's life and career Nixon, far right, stands next to John F. Kennedy and other freshmen members of Congress in 1947. Hide Caption 6 of 22 Photos: Richard Nixon's life and career Republican presidential nominee Dwight D. Eisenhower and his running mate, Richard Nixon, with their wives at the Republican National Convention in Chicago on July 12, 1952.

The Eisenhower-Nixon ticket won the election that year. Hide Caption 7 of 22 Photos: Richard Nixon's life and career Vice President Nixon, right, and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, center, share a laugh during Nixon's visit to the Soviet Union in 1959. The two leaders engaged in an informal debate about the merits of capitalism versus communism at the opening of the American National Exhibition in Moscow. Hide Caption 8 of 22 Photos: Richard Nixon's life and career Nixon poses for a portrait with his wife, Pat, and their daughters, Tricia and Julie, circa 1958. Hide Caption 9 of 22 Photos: Richard Nixon's life and career Vice President Nixon and Sen. John F. Kennedy take part in a televised debate during their 1960 presidential campaign. Kennedy won the election that year. Hide Caption Photos: Richard Nixon's life and career Republican presidential candidate Nixon campaigns in New York in 1960. Hide Caption 11 of 22 Photos: Richard Nixon's life and career Nixon addresses supporters after winning his party's nomination again in 1968.

He went on to defeat the Democratic nominee, incumbent Vice President Hubert Humphrey. Hide Caption 12 of 22 Photos: Richard Nixon's life and career First lady Pat Nixon, center, watches as her husband is sworn in as the 37th president of the United States by Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren on January 20, 1969. Hide Caption 13 of 22 Photos: Richard Nixon's life and career Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin laugh with President Nixon aboard the USS Hornet on July 24, 1969. The president was on hand to greet the astronauts after their splashdown in the Pacific. Hide Caption Photos: Richard Nixon's life and career In 1970, Nixon announces the invasion of Cambodia to the American public. Hide Caption Photos: Richard Nixon's life and career Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai toasts with Nixon during his trip to China in February 1972. Hide Caption 16 of 22 Photos: Richard Nixon's life and career President Nixon, left, briefs the Congressional leadership in 1973 before his televised announcement of the ceasefire in the Vietnam War.

From left are Senate Minority Leader Hugh Scott, House Majority Leader Tip O'Neill, Speaker of the House Carl Albert, Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield, House Minority Leader Gerald Ford, Vice President Spiro Agnew and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. Hide Caption 17 of 22 Photos: Richard Nixon's life and career In 1972, Nixon ran a successful re-election campaign. Gerald Ford, right, became his vice president when Spiro Agnew resigned in 1973. Hide Caption 18 of 22 Photos: Richard Nixon's life and career Surrounded by family members, Nixon delivers his resignation speech on August 9, 1974. He stepped down after the Watergate scandal, which stemmed from a break-in at the Democratic National Committee offices during the 1972 campaign. Hide Caption Photos: Richard Nixon's life and career Nixon leaves the White House after his resignation over the Watergate scandal in 1974.

Hide Caption 20 of 22 Photos: Richard Nixon's life and career Former President Nixon is wired for a microphone on April 9, 1988, before the taping of the NBC television show "Meet the Press." It was his first appearance on the show since 1968. Hide Caption 21 of 22 Photos: Richard Nixon's life and career Days after suffering a stroke, Nixon died in New York on April 22, 1994. A military honor guard carries Nixon's casket at the Stewart Air Force Base before the flight back to his hometown of Yorba Linda, California. His body was put on the same Boeing 707 that flew him home after his resignation. Hide Caption Richard M. Nixon has proved an attractive character for actors and comedians Among those who have played him: Dan Aykroyd, Frank Langella and John Cusack (CNN) Oh, Richard Nixon. Such a character you are. Literally. Perhaps no other modern president has been impersonated, parodied and portrayed so often, and why not?

The brilliant and tragic Nixon was positively Shakespearean: jowly, with a swooping nose , guttural voice, unfortunate grin and overeager victory-sign pose , combined with the mind of a chess player and the eyes of an obsessive. CNN's 'Race for the White House,' narrated by Kevin Spacey And that biography. You can't reckon with American history -- especially the history of the '70s -- without reckoning with Richard M. Nixon. He rose quickly -- vice president at age 39 -- crashed abruptly, came back to rise even higher and then went down in the ignominy of Watergate. (Historian Rick Perlstein even titled his chronicle of the '60s and early '70s "Nixonland." ) The material writes itself. No wonder so many performers have had Nixon to kick around. Here are some of the best who have taken their shot: Read More 1. Dan Aykroyd Impressionists Rich Little and David Frye may have nailed the voice and the mannerisms, but in the "Saturday Night Live" sketch "The Final Days" (written by Al Franken and Tom Davis), Aykroyd found something deeper and more corrosive.

Dan Aykroyd as President Richard Nixon during 'The New Dick' skit on December 2, 1978 The sketch, based on the Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein book, includes a segment in which Nixon talks to the paintings in the White House. "They're going to find out about you someday," he says to a picture of John F. Kennedy. "Having sex with women -- the president, within these very walls! That never happened when Dick Nixon was in the White House." Aykroyd's manic bitterness captured Nixon's dangerous side and also showed that the early "SNL" would take no prisoners when it came to politics. 2. Philip Baker Hall If Aykroyd's Nixon is played for some frightening laughs, then Hall's version, in Robert Altman's 1984 film "Secret Honor," is simply frightening. The actor, perhaps better known for his roles in Paul Thomas Anderson films, doesn't look much like the president, but in this one-man show he plows a paranoid energy into the part, acting out a complex psychodrama and bizarre conspiracy theory. 3.

Anthony Hopkins Hopkins, who won an Oscar for playing serial killer Hannibal Lecter in "The Silence of the Lambs," took on the 37th president in Oliver Stone's 1995 film "Nixon." Though he was criticized as over the top (Hopkins "brings plenty of Hannibal Lecter to Richard Nixon, a man who doesn't really need any more Hannibal Lecter brought to him," wrote Alex von Tunzelmann in a 2010 appraisal ), he offers some sympathy for the beleaguered president in his portrayal. Actors Anthony Hopkins and Joan Allen in Oliver Stone's 1995 film "Nixon." 4. Dan Hedaya Hedaya played Nixon for laughs in the 1999 film "Dick," a loopy story about two teenage girls who stumble on Watergate and become Deep Throat. Hedaya looks something like the president, though he exaggerates Nixon's tics. Of course, in a movie that features Harry Shearer as G. Gordon Liddy, Will Ferrell as Bob Woodward and Dave Foley as H.R. Haldeman, that's par for the course. 5.

Harry Shearer Speaking of Shearer, the longtime voice of "The Simpsons' " Mr. Burns has a longtime fascination with Nixon. His series "Nixon's the One" recently played on YouTube , and when "The Simpsons" needed a Nixon, Shearer's the one who's supplied the voice. (You may remember him from the "Simpsons" episode "Whacking Day.") Shearer thinks of the president as a "self-made man, self-destroyed man," he told the Los Angeles Times . "I think of it as the darkest kind of comedy." 6. Billy West "Futurama," which was co-created by "The Simpsons' " Matt Groening, also has a Nixon -- a head in a jar who became Earth's president in the year 3000.

(His face is also on the $300 and $1000 bills.) In the future, he's a curmudgeonly tyrant , and Billy West, who supplies Nixon's voice, has given him a werewolf-like "a-roo!" That touch was inspired by the 1960 presidential debates, West told "Fresh Air." "I said to my mom: Mom, it looks like he's going to turn into a werewolf, you know, because it was like (Lon Chaney Jr.'s Wolf Man) Larry Talbot turning into the werewolf, you know," he said. "That's what it looked like to me. So that's why I gave him that sort of thing." 7. Frank Langella In the movie "Frost/Nixon," Langella emphasized Nixon's slick side, the elder statesman trying to recover his reputation. Langella's Nixon is smooth and clever -- but eventually offers a tight-lipped apology to the American people for Watergate. Langella said the role, which garned him an Oscar nomination, was a big challenge. "It took me a long time to figure out how to walk the line," he told The New York Times .

"I didn't want to do an impression; I wanted an evocation of him, an essence. And I also knew that whatever I did, I could never satisfy some people, especially the ones who just want to hate Nixon." He added, "But why shouldn't he be human? Why shouldn't he be sympathetic and touching, along with all the rest -- vicious, cruel, a liar and a crook?" 8. John Cusack The 2013 film "Lee Daniels' The Butler" concerns the life of a White House butler (Forest Whitaker) over several decades of the 20th century. The portrayals of the various presidents are uneven, and Cusack's Nixon earned a range of reviews. "Maybe I've just seen 'Say Anything...' too many times, but I couldn't think, for even a second, that Cusack's Nixon was the same guy who gave the Checkers speech or covered up Watergate," wrote New York magazine's Jen Chaney . On the other hand, director Daniels loved Cusack's energy.

Question: Who played President Richard Nixon in the film "Nixon"?
Answer: Anthony Hopkins